


After the Rain

by thistreasurehunter



Series: After the Rain [1]
Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Basically everyone is a bit gay except John B who is oblivious, Bi!JJ, Boys Kissing, Confused Sarah, F/F, F/M, First Gay Kiss, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Girls Kissing, JJpope, Kissing, M/M, Mayward - Freeform, Multi, Secret Crush, Spin the Bottle, Truth or Dare, gay!Pope, pan!Kiara, secret feelings, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24972823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thistreasurehunter/pseuds/thistreasurehunter
Summary: In the wake of a storm, The Pogues pass the time playing truth or dare and, slowly, secret feelings are revealed.
Relationships: JJ & Pope (Outer Banks), JJ/John B. Routledge, JJ/Pope (Outer Banks), Sarah Cameron/John B. Routledge, Sarah Cameron/Kiara
Series: After the Rain [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808869
Comments: 10
Kudos: 95





	After the Rain

The tail end of a storm was blowing over the Outer Banks. Dirty cotton wool clouds hung low in the sky and the angry gunfire of rain had finally begun to ease into a soothing staccato patter again the windowpanes. The muggy heat of the last month, that had previously pressed against the skin like wet clothes, had broken at last.

Inside The Chateau, The Pogues lounged, languid in the quiet calm the change in the weather had brought: John B and Sarah curled in a chair, Pope reading by the light from the window, Kie on the floor with a deck of cards playing solitaire and JJ on the sofa with a pile of balled up foil and candy wrappers, lazily aiming at a coffee mug abandoned on the floor earlier.

“Looks like it’s easing up out there,” Pope commented.

“Umm,” John B agreed. “Hopefully there won’t be too much property damage this time.”

“Still, the power will probably stay off for a while yet,” noted Kie.

“It will on The Cut, at least” huffed JJ, lobbing a balled-up foil wrapper across the room where it hit the rim of the mug and bounced off.

“We could play a game,” suggested Sarah. “My sister and I play one like Truth or Dare, but it’s just Truth. We could try that?”

“You know what would be better that Truth or Truth, Sarah?” said Kie smiling, “Truth or Dare.”

“Okay,” Sarah laughed, “I guess we can be more adventurous than Wheezie and I can in the backseat of our dad’s car on long journeys!”

“Okay sweetie, as it’s your idea, do you want to go first?” John B said, gently stroking Sarah’s hair.

“Okay, truth.”

The others paused for a moment, thinking.

“What’s your… guilty pleasure?” Kie asked finally.

“Oh, that’s a good one. Um, let me think. I’d probably have to say, daytime tv murder mysteries – Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, those yellow writing made-for-TV films. So cheesy, I know, but there’s something so comforting about them. I like to watch them curled up on the sofa with hot tea and some chocolate. Sometimes Wheezie and Rafe watch them with me. Rafe teases me about them all the time, but he still comes and watches with me. We’re not as close as we used to be, but in those moments, he just feels like my big brother again.”

“That’s so lovely Sarah,” Kie smiled.

John B pressed a kiss to the top of Sarah’s head.

“Right” Sarah replied, “my turn to choose. Kie, Truth or Dare?”

“Truth”

“Okay, same question – what’s your guilty pleasure?”

“Long showers” Kie replied straight away. “Taking my time to wash all the salt water from my hair, using my favourite coconut body wash, just standing and feeling the spray on my skin and all the way to my scalp, letting my muscles all unwind under the press of the hot water. Washing the day away. Then getting out and wrapping up in a big fluffy towel. Bliss.”

“We’re really going for quite touching answers today,” JJ smirked, “I thought truth or dare was code for ‘tell us who you secretly fancy and what you’ve done in bed’.”

“It’s what you make it,” John B laughed.

“Okay JJ,” said Kie, “Truth or Dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to run down to the dock and back again, fast as you can.”

JJ sighed, “Fine, kind of boring, but fine. I mean it’s still raining pretty hard and I’ll get soaked. But whatever, I’ll get to pick next.”

The blond boy unfolded himself from his position on the sofa, casually running his fingers through his hair. As ever, it loosely settled in an almost gravity defying sweep, that JJ hoped looked carefree and haphazard, but which he actually secretly practiced in front of the mirror. He tramped across the room, playfully tweaking the rim of Pope’s snapback on his way to the screen door. Pope swatted at him, then watched him go, catching a quick glimpse of his toned abs through his muscle-tee as he turned at the door flashing a quick grin at them all before wrenching the door open and lurching off. He sprinted down the scrubby back yard, past the firepit and down towards the dock. The others watched from the doorway as he hurtled down the dock, smacked the wood of the mooring post, then spinning and making his way back up the incline towards the house. A couple of times his boots skidded on the sodden ground and he nearly overbalanced, but he just managed to right himself. The others laughed from inside.

“Graceful” laughed John B.

“Shut up,” JJ barked as he crashed back through the screen door in a shower of water droplets. The others jumped back quickly.

The pounding rain from earlier had eased considerably, but it was still falling in steady sheets. JJ was soaked though, water running from his hair in rivulets and the fabric of his tee sticking to the toned muscle beneath. Pope caught himself staring at the water droplets running from the sharp jut of his jawline down the column of his neck and flicked his eyes away guiltily.

Laughing, JJ pushed the wet hair from his face, then proceeded to shake as much water off as he could.

“Hey dude!” John B laughed with him, “stop trying to shake yourself dry like a dog and just get a towel like a normal person!”

JJ grinned again, but before setting off across the room in the direction of the bathroom, he carefully toed one boot off, then the other, then reached down and in one fluid motion, pealed the tee off his body and over his head. As he did, Pope’s eyes travelled up the expanse of glistening, rain-slickened golden skin and taut muscle, his mouth suddenly going dry.

JJ wrung out the tee as best he could through the screen door, then hung it on the back of a chair to dry off. He then padded down the hall in search of a towel. The others drifted back to their previous positions. Pope went and poured himself a glass of water in the kitchen, then set himself down on the sofa. JJ came back into the room, rubbing a towel briskly over his head, then plonked himself down on the sofa next to Pope.

“Right,” he smirked. “My turn. And rather than picking one person, I’ve got a dare I want to challenge you all to take part in. Everyone game? And just to let you know, anyone that chickens out is just asking for payback – JJ style!”

They all eyed each other warily.

“That’s no joke actually,” John B shuddered. “After the last time I backed out of a dare he kept leaving his worn socks and boxers in my bed for a week. Sometimes while I was in it! Whatever he has planned will be a hundred times better than waking up with his underwear draped on your face, trust me!”

“Gross!” Sarah squealed. JJ grinned, bending his head and flourishing his arm in a mock bow.

“Okay then,” JJ carried on, “I take it everyone’s on board?” The others nodded reluctantly.

“Then I dare everyone in this room to play three rounds of spin the bottle – round one, quick kiss; round two, proper kiss with tongue; and round three, full on seven minutes in heaven style make out sesh. No backing out, no skipping, no passing your turn. No matter how awkward, you just have to lock lips with whoever you get paired with.”

Pope felt the atmosphere in the room thicken. He could see his friends shooting looks at each other.

Sarah swallowed, looking up at her boyfriend, “what do you think?”

“I’m okay with it if you are, baby,” he smiled, squeezing her shoulder. Then he whispered something into to ear that only she could hear. Sarah blushed suddenly, biting her lip and squirming against him, ducking her head slightly to try to hide her pink cheeks behind her hair, but not before the others had seen.

JJ looked over to Pope, catching his eye and grinning, raising his eyebrow suggestively. Pope rolled his eyes back at him, but inside his heart was hammering against his chest.

“Okay, we’re in” Sarah giggled, “Kie? Pope?”

“Fine,” Kie sighed.

“Y-yeah,” Pope stuttered finally.

Sweeping the cards from the forgotten game of solitaire into a pile, Kie uncurled from the floor and went to get an empty beer bottle from the recycling.

John B trailed his fingers up and down Sarah’s arm absently. Pope watched their lazy movement, aware of the pulse of blood he could suddenly hear thrumming in his ears and trying to ignore the warm weight of his best friend on the sofa next to him and the single, tiny point of contact when JJ’s knee brushed his own leg.

Kie returned and set the bottle on the floor.

“Okay, so I assume we spin twice for each round then,” she looked up at the others. At their nods, Kie twisted her fingers, setting the bottle to revolve on the floor before it slowed to point at John B. Sarah’s eyes sparkled and John B hid his smile by pressing his nose into the back of her hair.

Kie leaned forwards and spun again and this time the bottle landed on JJ.

Pope’s heart sank slightly. Sarah let out a sharp intake of breath, then huffed it out quickly in a laugh. JJ smacked a hand against his forehead lightly, groaning and shaking his head. Kie joined Sarah laughing, “Come on JJ, what did you say? No backing out wasn’t it?” Pope laughed weekly along with them.

JJ pulled himself to his feet and John B followed. JJ opened his arms wide and jokingly said in a high falsetto “Come ‘ere loverboy”. He leaned forwards and planted a kiss on John B’s mouth with an over-exaggerated smacking sound. He then pulled back and grimaced, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. John B laughed and sat back down, “yeah, you’re not really my type either mate”.

“Well that’s round one ‘quick kiss’ done,” Sarah said. “Next we’ve got ‘proper kiss with tongue’.”

Kie lined up the bottle again and spun. When it finally stopped, it was pointing directly at her. She reached forward and quickly spun it again. Pope saw Kie’s eyes fixed on the bottle and perhaps he was imaging it, but with the fierce expression on Kie’s face it looked as though she was willing the bottle to land on a particular person. _Please, just once,_ her lips seemed to mouth. When the bottle stopped, it was pointing at Sarah. A flash of relief seemed to pass over Kie’s face, quickly followed by guilt. Pope looked to see if anyone else had noticed, but nobody was looking: Sarah and John B were eyeing each other suggestively and when Pope turned, JJ’s eyes were on his own face. Pope opened his mouth to say something and JJ’s eyes quickly flicked up to his eyes. Pope closed his mouth and turned back to the room, lost for a moment.

Across the room, Sarah had eased herself down onto the floor and crawled over to where Kie sat nervously. She reached her hand out and trailed her fingers down the side of Kie’s face, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. John B leaned forwards, elbows on knees, eyes glued to the girls on the floor. Kie swallowed and licked her lips. Sarah leaned forwards and gently pressed her lips against Kie’s. After a heartbeat, Kie pressed forwards, her lips moving against Sarah’s and her hand going up to card slowly through Sarah’s silky hair. Sarah cupped Kie’s cheek, her thumb gently stroking along the cheekbone. Pope saw Kie’s lips part and a flash of tongue before the girl’s mouths slotted together again. When they finally pulled apart, they kept their heads close, foreheads touching, breathing each other’s air for a final moment. Kie brought her hand forwards and ever so gently traced her thumb over Sarah’s bottom lip, then, as though suddenly catching herself, pulled it away suddenly, breaking the spell of the moment.

“That,” John B declared, “was hot.”

Kie hummed absently in response, a strange expression of mixed longing and sadness on her face.

Oblivious, John B grinned widely, opening his arms for Sarah, but as she moved back over to him, Pope saw the dazed expression on her face and the slight frown around her eyes. She sat back in John B’s lap, staring at her hands and let him pepper kisses over her neck and shoulder, but Pope saw her furtive glance in Kie’s direction.

“Well,” Kie exclaimed, “last round.”

“The last pair are really going to have to up their game to top the last performance,” John B joked.

Sarah cleared her throat, “everyone’s had a go now, right?”

“No, Pope hasn’t,” JJ said quickly. “Maybe we should nominate him and then just spin for his partner?”

“That’s hardly fair,” John B replied.

Pope looked over at JJ, catching his eye and shrugging, trying not to lose himself in the piercing blue gaze.

“I’m spinning twice,” Kie decided.

Pope watched the bottle spin, vaguely aware the thudding of his pulse in his ears had returned. And finally, he swallowed hard when he realised the bottle had come to a rest pointing directly at him.

“Guess we didn’t need to cheat after all,” Sarah noted.

Kie lent over and spun the bottle again.

Time slowed for Pope, his eyes following the mesmerising twist of the bottle on the floor, vaguely aware of the sound of his friends making drumroll and crescendo noises, hearing the thud of his pulse in his ears, feeling the pounding of his heart against his ribs and, above all, the warm point of contact on his leg from JJ’s knee. When the bottle finally slowed, the thump in his ears grew to a deafening roaring and he slowly looked up to stare into the face of his best friend, who, catching his breath, suddenly looked just as wide-eyed.

“Haha, poor JJ,” John B teased lightly. “Hope you didn’t set this dare just for a guilt-free chance to mack on our girls! Looks like you pulled the short straw.”

“Something like that,” JJ croaked.

“Remember,” John B cut in. “You’ve got to make this seven-minutes-in-heaven level steamy!”

JJ ignored him and shuffled closer to Pope on the sofa.

“You sure this is okay?” He asked quietly.

Pope swallowed and nodded.

JJ brought their bodies even closer, then glanced down nervously, suddenly overly aware of his naked chest. He was so close, Pope could see the fan of JJ’s lashes against his cheeks, smell his slightly minty shampoo, the clean freshness of his skin and also something deeper. Something that reminded him of freshly cut grass after the rain. Even from here, Pope imagined he could taste the salt of the ocean on JJ’s skin. Pope leaned forward slightly and breathed it in. And that was when JJ looked up, their eyes met and the rest of the world faded away, and for the first time, Pope saw his own secret longing reflected back at him in JJ’s eyes. Eyes that looked more nervous and hopeful that he had ever seen them. And just like that, Pope let his walls come crashing down like a house of cards and he leaned forwards until he met JJ’s lips with his own.

JJ’s eyes fluttered shut as he melted against Pope, mouth parting and hand coming up to rest on Pope’s neck, lost in the slow push and slide of their lips and tongues.

Pope leaned into the hand on his neck; the feeling of the fingertips on the sensitive skin setting of sparks of fire along his veins. _This,_ he though, _yes, this._ He brought a hand up to bury in JJ’s wild blond locks, feeling JJ quietly hitch in a breath when he gently tugged. JJ’s mouth caught Pope’s bottom lip and Pope almost groaned as he felt the soft scrape of JJ’s teeth as he slowly traced them over the over-stimulated skin. Pope felt the smallest tweak as the corner of JJ’s mouth twisted upwards in the tiniest ghost of a grin. Pope pulled his lips away to pepper a trail of feather light kisses along JJ’s neck and jawline, ending just below his ear. His chest rising and falling heavily, JJ tilted his head to give Pope more access and, encouraged, Pope tentatively took the lobe of JJ’s ear into his mouth and sucked. JJ’s breathing faltered and suddenly Pope could feel the sweet bite of blunt nails raking down the back of his neck. JJ brought their lips back together and this time, Pope could feel the build and the urgency behind JJ’s movements.

Someone cleared their throat.

The moment broke and JJ and Pope pulled back slightly, still only inches apart. Their eyes met and the look they shared was somehow so familiar, but also so new, so foreign. Pope thought he saw joy, excitement and anticipation written on JJ’s face, but also a hint of fear. JJ’s shoulders heaved as he tried to steady his breathing. Quickly, his eyes flashed down to Pope’s lips and then back up again. Pope raised an eyebrow at him and JJ replied with a small shrug of the shoulders and a sheepish, almost apologetic little half smile. It was then that Pope’s face cracked into the wide smile of sheer, unbridled happiness and a second later JJ was grinning too, and winking at him, and taking Pope’s hand in his own and squeezing. Pope squeezed back. Then JJ and Pope turned, hand in hand, to greet the surprised reaction of their friends.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve never written anything like this before, so I would love feedback!
> 
> (Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the Outer Banks characters or settings.)


End file.
